Day 2 - Taj Mahal

Today we started for Agra at 6 AM. We got up at 5 AM. Thank god this was the first night we
slept well but again we didn't get breakfast. Now we are really hungry after not having dinner. Standing out by the road at the main gate to the Karela house, the tour bus picked us up. Today the bus was already loaded and we were the last ones on. We settled in for the long drive. We were expecting a 3 to 4 hour drive. This bus was ready for the road with satellite TV and DVD player. Didn't seem like the satellite ever had a signal but we did watch a Hindi/Bollywood movie. No subtitles. on our way through the city a vendor jumped on the bus selling snacks. DJ and I we excited to see food and bought cookie and cream cookies for 20 rupees... that's 4 cents American.

Once out of the city, we stopped for breakfast. We went from not eating anything to twice in an hour. We haven't befriended anyone on this bus yet so we were on our own to order. Intimidating isn't the work to describe how we felt about this unfamiliar process. There was about 75 to 100 people crowding into this restaurant at once. The way these restaurants are setup in a very long counter with a register at one end. you order there and take the slip the corresponding section of counter, snacks, breakfast, South Indian, and so on. We stood in line till we we almost the last person in line.I picked the only thing on the menu that I knew what it was, Samosa. This is a dish made with homefry style potatoes with Indian spices wrapped in a fried outer similar to Crab Rangoon.

The first stop was Agra Fort. As usually it cost a lot more for an American to enter than an Indian. 600rs/$12 whereas it only cost 20rs/40cents for an Indian. DJ and I decided that we would save our money and just view this location from the outside. We only had 30 minutes
and its a large location to view outside alone. As soon as we got off the bus we had five to 6 people following us trying to force sell us post cards, batteries, film and marble Items. As usual we just blew them off and continued down the road with the rest of our tour. This was a busy little street. lots of little vendors and tourist. AS we walked up to the front walkway to the red fort there was tons of these force selling vendors. Regardless of face DJ and I walked they swammed In on us because we were easily the only Americans In the crowed.. they we so close they were pushing us. now I see there strategy, as a group they cornered us. Most of these places there are Indian police to help with these push little guys. The police has one of these barriers about 10 feet away so we just pushed our way through.

Second stop was UP Handicrafts and Lunch. We have done this before but this time we knew what to expect. We know how they sold thing. This shop was different though because it had different products. This is a a Marble shop. This is a government show that makes marble product that are reproduce the technique that was used to construct the Taj Mahal. They educated us on how to tell the different of real marble and fake. The street vendor that our pressure selling us all the time generally sell fake marble. and the only way to tell the difference is to see if it allows light to shin through I\it. Real marble will illuminate! They showed us through there work shops and how they were inlaying gems into the marble. Of course they knew we were American and took DJ and I into the Expensive/ upper class show room. I did buy something from her.I had selected a elephant in the previous show room and they had em Inlays. Kayde will love It.

Lunch time now. This restaurant was In the basement of the hotel. This was an up class
restaurant. They had waiters and a menu unlike any other place we have been yet. This Is a
first. Thally I believe Is the dish that we had. With a Banana lassi. It was DJ's first Lassi, which Is like a fruit smoothie.

The last stop was the Taj Mahal! What we have all been waiting for! AS we are getting closer to the Taj the roads are getting narrower and narrower. Suddenly I was feeling that our bus was WAY to big for this road. Lots of horn blowing to get through all the rickshaws. A rickshaw are taxi bikes. When we start notice there are lots of parking and the speaker was prepping the group for the stop. We got off the bus and jump on to a battery bus that brought us up to the west gate but we walked around to the south gate. The lines to get inside was very long and a lot of pushing and shoving. Our tour guide on the bus has some some waiting for DJ and I. this tour guide went and bought our ticket into the Taj and cut most of the line... which pissed a lot of people off. the guy behind me was tiring to pick pocket me which was rather uncomfortable. after holding my butt the entire time and a few elbows into the guy behind meI made It in!

This tour guy was running us through taj. We were only given 2 hours till we needed to be back on the bus and we can not be late because the bus will leave without us. The guide brought us to everything that he thought we should see and helped take some awesome pictures. he escorted us back to what must have been his shop on the streets outside and had someone bring us back to the bus. This help brought us the back way through the alleys where there were no vendors or tourist. When we stepped out the door we were back at the west gate. Before leaving the tour guid he had told us that the ride in the rickshaw back to the bus Is Included In our ticket. So when we found one the diver asked for 25rs but I showed him the ticket and he said "Ok, get In."I replied back to him "Free right?"and he said "Yes sire please get in." When he dropped us off he asked for 25 ruppes tell us that the battery rickshaws are free so I stuck to my ground and told him no. he threatened to get the police and I offered him 4rs In good faith and he refused so I walked away to the bus. we were on the bus for about 10 minutes when our bus tour guide came on the bus with the drive and we explained to him what happened. the driver settled for 10rs. I was pretty pissed off with this because I know we were still being screwed. but we brushedIt off to settleIn for our long ride home. We got back around 10:30 pm because there was TONS of traffic commingInto Delhi and many accidents. But we got to talk to amit when we returned who was just landing In Mumbai. That makes me feel better to some familiarity from home here in India.